Our First Camping Trip

We took a spontaneous camping trip with our good friend the Deleckis. We were blessed with a beautiful tent campsite under large shade trees that overlooked a fish pond.

For ten years Mike has insisted we hang onto his camping gear junior high because we might use it "someday". Well, someday finally came and the camping gear worked out great!

Fisher found a mask and snorkel in one of the tent bags. He walked around announcing I Diver.

Hunter was perfectly contect snuggling with daddy morning, noon and night.

Fisher and Caleb are graet friends and like true boys, they love to wrestle.

At Lake Cuyamaca Chelsie and I put our babies in backpacks on our back and went for a walk while the boys were fishing. We brought Bosun along for what I thought would be short, pleasant walk. When I noticed we were getting far away from our starting point I asked how much further she planned to go. Chelsie said "honey, at this point it would be the same to walk the rest of the way around the lake, or turn back". So, on we went, under a barbed wire where I tore my pants and nearly lost Hunter out of the backpack. Near the end Bosun was so exhausted I ended up carrying a wet and dirty little dog. We were quite proud of ourselves when we finally saw the guys again.

Extreme Makeover: Pastor Edition

I've been wanting to help my dear friend Elizabeth (our pastor's wife) update her kitchen. I offered to paint the walls and lay down new peel and stick tiles while they were away on summer vacation. When my dad got wind of the project he wanted to take it a little further and started asking if cabinets need to be replaced. Hmm... what did he have in mind?Before they left for vacation I checked with her: "if we wanted to do a little more than paint and stick on tiles would that be alright?" Her response of "Jill, you go ahead and do as much as you want" gave us the blank check to have a ball. And we did!!!

It didn't stop there... friends and people from the church blessed them with new appliances, light fixtures, a handmade quilt, and even a new farmhouse style dining table with a bench perfect for their 4 children. And there's more... the cabinets were filled with all new dishes, glasses, utensils, bakeware, gadgets, small appliances, even an 11-piece stainless steel cookset.

But wait... we couldn't stop in the kitchen, so we got busy in the living room, laundry room, family room, cleaning, re-arranging and decorating. Then more painting, and a new mailbox, we just couldn't stop. Good thing they were coming home. This had to end somewhere.

They have shown us God's love through their sacrificial service and we were blessed to shower them back with a small part of what God has given us.

Mommy, Teach Me How

This summer Fisher was eager to learn how to do all the fun things we enjoy during the summer. During Hunter's nap we would hop in the kayak and paddle across the main channel in our basin to La Playa beach on Point Loma. He would repeat "mommy, teach me how" and I'd show him how to paddle, or hold him up on his little surf board and help him "surf". He was very brave when the kayak rocked and when we had to paddle extra fast because there was a big boat coming. At the beach he ventured into chest deep water.

Hunter was big enough to take his first ride in the swing at the playground near our marin. He loved it!

Fisher's favorite summer activity was surfing. He was obsessed with his little surf board and took it everywhere. When we were in San Diego GG took him to the beach. He surfed with Uncle J.D. and at home he would surf in the bathtub. That board can make a pretty big splash when you try standing on it in the tub.

Can you spot Persistence in Descanso Bay at Catalina Island?

Mike's Profit Platoon of fellow air conditioning contractors joined us in Avalon for a weekend of fun and relaxation.

4th of July 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE! HAPPY 2ND HALF-BIRTHDAY FISHER!

We were joined onboard for our birthday & 4th of July celebrations by GG & Pa, Teta & George, Mike's Uncle Samir, Aunt Sonia and Cousin Mark (looks like a grown-up version of Hunter), Allison and the infamous Uncle J.D.

Samir and family enjoying a dinghy ride. It was a warm day.
Happy Hunter trying to escape from the confines of the cabin.

Seattle

The first week of July we flew to Seattle to visit Mike's extended family.
Our first stop was dinner at the home of Jill's college friend Karmen. Fisher and Hunter loved playing with her three young daughters. When the ice cream truck came by their girls taught our boys all about it.



We stayed downtown our first night at the W Seattle. The next morning Mike took the boys to the Seattle Aquarium and let me sleep in. Thank you!! When he saw how steep the uphill walk returning to the hotel was he threw the boys in a taxi.
We stayed at Uncle Raed house on Wooton Lake near Seattle. Here are three generations of fisherman. Mike's Uncle Fahmy, next to him, taught Mike how to fish. Jill got a chance to waterski. I'll spare you the photos. Fisher spent much time on the dock practicing casting. Mike took him out in the pedal boat for fishing along the shoreline.
Mike's cousin Breanne with Hunter.Hunter's first frappacino from the original Starbucks near Pike's Place market. He LOVED it!Mike's uncles Raed and Fahmy.
After strolling Pike's Place market we took a ferry to Tillicum Village for an authentic salmon dinner.

Darren and Hunter shared lots of tickles and giggles.

Fish had fun with his cousins Breanne, Jared and Ryan. *POW!*

Aunt Jana took us to the beach near Southworth Ferry Landing to look for crabs and starfish. Andrea came along to help us hunt.

Hunter fearlessly picked up the baby crabs and even tried tasting them.

Handsome Hunter

We do everything together...

Uncle J.D.

We love Uncle J.D.! He drops in unannounced a couple times a week just to play with the boys. He taught Fisher how to swing a bat and hit a ball, runs with them, wrestles with them and gives Mommy a few minutes off-duty to make a phone call, finish getting dress, clean the kitchen, you name it. His timing is always perfect.

The boys love when he trows them in the air, rolls around on the grass with them and generally "beats them up". These are cherished moments because he is moving away to Yorba Linda soon. Thank you Uncle J.D. we love you!!!

Father's Day 2008

We spent a leisurely Father's Day weekend onboard Persistence in Mission Bay with Jill's family. Mike helped Fisher reel in his first catch.

Sweet Hunter sat on the back deck watching Aunt Janeen and Fisher hang overboard and call to the fish "HELLO FISHY" at the top of their lungs.
It got really interesting the when Mike gave Fisher a bucket full of dead bait to play with. He was covered with slime and scales from head to toe. If you look closely his fingers are crusted and there are even scales in his hair. Yuck! But what fun he had squeezing the fish, throwing them to the birds and just being a boy.
Hmmm... fishing lessons from Aunt Janeen. She was on the back deck fishing morning til night.
Fishy loves to play with his brother, contstaintly tickling, talking and goofing around with him. They're already best friends.


Fisher has learned well from his father to take his recreation seriously. When he didn't have a rod in his hand he was swabbing the deck or tying a line.
Fisher told mommy "go fast" but didn't like it very much when we did. The salt spray caught him by surprise. He definitely has a my sense of adventure. Uh oh.
Relaxing is what it was all about, and we did plenty of there. Janeen, Dad, J.D., Jill and Fish.
Happy Hunter

The greatest BIG MESS yet

I used to wonder if my son would be the accident prone type; sending us on frequent trips to the emergency room. Or if he’d be fearful, crying at the loud wail of fire engine sirens. Maybe he’d be athletic, impressing adults with his good swing and accurate throw. No, God gave me a tough boy who is a fearless leader and curious explorer.

This morning after talking with Daddy about fishing he quietly went to his room and found his fishing pole. Next thing we hear is a loud slosh and crash, with no cry. Hmmm what could it be. Must not be serious because he’s not crying. I assumed he had dumped out an ice chest we had just unloaded that was still full of ice water. Mike was first on the scene to find Fisher’s fish tank on the floor, crushed beneath his dresser. The fish tank water splashed across his bed to the opposite side of his room, filled the dresser drawer and soaked the carpet. Apparantly he climbed his dresser drawers, using them as steps to be able to reach the fish tank where he was attempting to catch some fish with his fishing pole.

Concerned for the fish, Mike immediately found two of the four and rushed them to kitchen, asking me for a bowl of water. Fisher ran in right behind him carrying his pole, hopped up into a barstool and resumed his “fishing”. Daddy rescued the big goldfish but found him injured and bleeding. Fisher heard as the toilet flushed and we said bye-bye to the gold fish. One is still missing. The part we haven’t figured out yet is how he escaped untouched and completely dry. Ahhhh, just another day at the Saad house.